Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying, Jade.”
“Since I’m sick and tired of it, stop calling me that. Just tell me why such nonsense spread—that the Duke swore an oath to you.”
Olivia bit her lip reflexively.
It had been a year and a half. A year and a half since she’d last seen Jade, who never once visited her during the war with Heperti.
She had so much she wanted to say. She wanted to complain—why hadn’t he replied to her letters? Why had he sent back the relief supplies?
She wanted to say thank you for returning safely. She hoped that if she said it, he might smile at her just once.
But Jade himself hadn’t changed at all from the boy who’d always ignored her a year and a half ago.
Jade’s sharp eyes softened slightly.
“You’re lying, right? I knew it. Honestly, who would swear a lady’s oath to you—especially someone like the Duke?”
“It’s true.”
“…What?”
Jade stared at Olivia in disbelief, then snorted.
Accustomed to Jade’s habit of accusing her of lying, Olivia slowly opened her mouth.
“His Grace the Duke swore an oath to me, Jade. As you know, it was a knight’s oath to a lady.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“What!”
Jade suddenly shouted at Olivia’s quiet, muttering words. His insides boiled furiously, ready to burst.
It was absolutely, unquestionably a situation where he should have sworn to the Imperial Princess—so why her of all people? Did that idiot even understand what it meant?
After grumbling for a while, he suddenly noticed Olivia had gone completely silent. For a moment, Jade forgot even to breathe as he stared at her. Come to think of it—what had she said again?
Moonlight streamed through the window above the door, illuminating Olivia. Beneath that proud, cold light, she stood with her head bowed quietly. Her silver hair—so like his own—glimmered as if she might vanish at any moment.
Jade’s heart lurched. Olivia had never once bowed her head—not even when ten-year-old Jade learned she wasn’t truly his sister.
“It was because of you! Because of you, our mother died!!”
Jade, who had secretly cared for Olivia behind their father’s and Conrad’s backs, began to hate her more than anyone else from that moment on.
Olivia, dressed in tattered clothes and clenching her lips tightly, might have said something, but he didn’t want to hear any excuses.
For two whole years after their mother’s death, Jade had believed Olivia was his real sister. He now bitterly regretted having looked after her during that time. From then on, he relentlessly tormented her.
He’d released frogs under her bed, locked her outside in the rain on cold autumn days, torn up her favorite books, and shoved her without reason.
He’d even left her alone in high society.
Yet through all of it, Olivia had held her head high.
Not like this—bowing her head.
While Jade stood speechless, Olivia lifted her gaze. Her face bore her usual gentle smile.
“Why do you talk as if no one would ever swear an oath to me?”
“Well…”
“I can receive one too. After all, I’m an adult who’s already made my debut.”
Playfully, Olivia grinned, gathered the hem of her dress, and mimed a curtsy. Jade watched her silently, his eyes narrowing.
“That’s… Heperti gloves, isn’t it.”
“Huh?”
Olivia instinctively hid her hand behind her back. Jade spoke through gritted teeth, his voice strained.
“Did you get them from the Duke?”
“…Yeah.”
“You knew about it even before seeing me today?”
“…Yeah.”
“You idiot!”
His voice crashed down like thunder. As Olivia flinched slightly, Jade, who had been glaring at her while grumbling, yelled and stormed up the stairs. Moments later, a loud *bang* echoed as the door slammed shut.
Olivia glared slightly up the stairs. Conrad had always been the one with the sharpest tongue—but perhaps because of the battlefield, Jade’s words had grown even harsher. How could he always pick out the exact words that hurt her most?
Remembering his “sick and tired” remark and his immediate denial of the oath, Olivia clenched her fists tighter.
Only now did she notice the fingernail marks left on her palms beneath the gloves. Her feet began to ache again as if burned.
Olivia climbed the stairs with a limp.
Had the path to her room always been this long? As soon as she entered after walking down the long corridor, she closed and locked the door before finally sinking to the floor. The hurt was plain on her face, now stripped of its smile.
It had been so long. And yet their reunion had turned out this messy.
Bad Jade. Mean Jade. Cruel Jade.
And yet…
The Jade she’d waited for so long.
A mix of joy, regret, affection, and just a hint of disappointment swirled inside her, and Olivia barely managed to whisper:
“…I’m glad you came back safely, Jade. I really missed you.”
The words she’d longed to say to Jade drifted through her empty room and vanished.
Exhausted, Olivia fell asleep and dreamed of the day Jade gave her a doll.
It was eight years ago, during the Madelaine estate’s festival. Twelve-year-old Olivia had woken to sounds outside her room.
Had Jade come again to put frogs in her room?
If he was going to be spiteful, sewer rats would’ve been better—at least the young master, who couldn’t even touch live mice, went out of his way to torment her.
No one could have guessed that the Jade who, from ages eight to ten, gave her flower crowns, smiled at her, and even shared puzzles would become such a nasty fourteen-year-old. No matter how hard she tried, Jade never understood and only acted stubborn.
He’d said, as if truly hating her to death.
Swallowing bitterness, Olivia waited for Jade’s mischief. Still, being tormented like that might have been better than their father, who wouldn’t even look at her as if she didn’t exist.
But no matter how long she waited, Jade never came in. Olivia, holding her breath as she waited for the door to open, finally crept out carefully.
Jade stood in the dimly lit hallway. He reeked of alcohol—perhaps he’d stolen some to drink. With a blank expression, he slowly turned toward Olivia.
Olivia tensed instantly.
Jade, now easily a head taller than her, had grown into an adult’s build from sword training—more man than boy. Though he’d never hit her, she’d seen enough on Turningbell’s streets to know how drunken adults could suddenly turn violent.
But Jade did nothing. He simply stood there, holding one large rabbit doll and one small one.
As if slowly recognizing Olivia, his still-youthful face twisted gradually. His amethyst eyes focused sharply, then glared at her.
“…But.”
After a long silence, a muffled voice finally came. Olivia leaned in unconsciously, stepping forward without realizing—and in that instant, couldn’t breathe.
“…You’re my sister. Then why aren’t you really my sister…?”
“…”
“I thought you were my sister.”
“…”
“Why aren’t you my sister…?”
Tears welled in his glaring eyes. For a moment, she saw the younger Jade overlaid upon him—the one from long ago.
The Jade who always made her flower crowns, who fought playfully over puzzles only to hand them to her in the end, who’d smiled happily receiving the Duchess’s kiss-blessing.
“Father and Brother were too cruel. You didn’t even eat, did you?”
The Jade who, not knowing why Father and Conrad treated her that way, secretly brought her bread and dolls to comfort her.
“It was because of you! Because of you, our mother died!!”
And the ten-year-old Jade who’d screamed in rage after learning the truth.
Olivia bit her lip hard. Though she’d always stubbornly insisted she was his sister, she couldn’t say a word to Jade now.
Jade staggered toward Essela’s door and set down the large doll.
Then he tossed the small rabbit doll toward Olivia and disappeared into his own room.
Only then did Olivia slowly walk toward the doll. It was a pretty rabbit doll. Hugging it felt warm—just like the ones Jade used to bring her when they were little.
That night, Olivia couldn’t fall asleep easily. Something kept pricking her heart. The fleeting happiness of childhood rose within her again.
Maybe, just maybe, Jade still thought of her as his sister in some corner of his heart. If only she tried a little harder…
“Olivia is the Emerald Princess.”
She believed that happiness would come back to her again.
*Bang*—the closed door rattled. Olivia’s bowed head flickered in his mind. Shaking his head to dispel the image, Jade cursed under his breath.
“That madman—they said he’d lost his mind, but what is this!”
He’d waited for this day. For a year and a half, he’d endured, believing the victory banquet would finally come.
Of all things, a report came in about Heperti remnants. That insane Duke had pointedly ordered him to deal with it personally.
The report was false.
He didn’t even know why he’d been waiting for that banquet. There were plenty of such banquets anyway.
And yet…
One of the knights he met upon returning to the capital had doused his rising hopes with cold water.
The knight, already on his way back from the banquet to the estate, had muttered something strange.
That the Duke had sworn a lady’s oath to someone?
Jade snorted. It seemed the Emperor had devised some clever scheme to leash his own dog. Surely, the oath was to the Imperial Princess.
“His Majesty must have made up his mind. Planning a state marriage, perhaps?”
“No, Captain. It wasn’t Her Imperial Highness! The one His Grace swore to was…”
The overheated knight trailed off abruptly upon noticing Jade.
“…Now that I think of it, Captain—you have a younger sister…”
“What?”
His vision went white. Olivia was the only Madelaine noblewoman who could have attended the banquet.
She wasn’t at the estate when he returned in a rage.
Jade had been sitting on the first step, having sent everyone away, and stood up the moment Olivia returned. Swallowing his frustration, he asked—
And it turned out the one who’d received the Duke’s oath was indeed Olivia.
That idiot.
Did she even know what kind of man the Duke was?
Fury surged to the top of his head. Jade grabbed a random gift beside him and hurled it at the wall.
The box fell open, and a glove tumbled out—identical to the one Olivia wore. Jade steadied his ragged breath and stared at the pile of unopened gifts beside him.
He’d bought them to match Essela’s, but had never once given them to Olivia. Unable to throw them away or send them, they’d just kept piling up.
That idiot—whom he’d thought was his sister but wasn’t.
Jade closed his eyes, dizzy with confusion over why he was so furious.
Beyond his pitch-black vision, he saw Olivia.
Ten years old—the self who’d turned against her after learning of their mother’s death—and eight-year-old Olivia, who’d hovered around him despite it all.
The hope shimmering in those green eyes made Jade’s breath catch even more. He’d thought it was a wish he could never fulfill.
If only he’d thought a little more about why he’d kept those gifts piled up—it would’ve been so simple. But at that moment, Jade couldn’t think that extra bit.
First floor of the Madelaine estate.
Olivia watched the sunrise. The green juice she’d made for her father was about to be discarded again.
She’d waited since dawn, expecting someone—Father, Conrad, anyone—to come ask her about it. About the Duke’s oath, her relationship with Leopold—anything.
But the morning remained this quiet.
“Miss, breakfast is ready. Please give me that and eat.”
Sally took the juice as she spoke. Jade had left at dawn. In the empty dining room, only her place was set.
Eating alone had no taste.
When would Essela return from her maternal grandfather’s, the Marquis of Haekwin?
Olivia kept forcing herself to think of other things. It was the only escape available to her now.
Sally, who’d been standing behind her, approached and carefully poured more juice into her empty glass.
“Um, Miss… may I ask you just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Did you really receive a lady’s oath from His Grace the Duke yesterday?”
“How do you know that?”
Sally beamed, her face flushed with excitement.
“So it’s true! I knew it! Miss, you were absolutely stunning yesterday! The newspapers raved about how beautiful you were—”
“Newspapers?”
“Yes! Articles about you are everywhere in the papers!”
Her fingertips turned cold. Newspapers? Who dared spread news of what happened in the Imperial Palace?
Sally asked eagerly, eyes sparkling.
“Shall I bring them?”
Olivia nodded, and Sally dashed out of the dining room.
Olivia closed her eyes briefly.
Events at the Imperial Palace—especially banquets—were always treated as ‘unofficial.’
At most, gossip might circulate about who Leopold partnered with at the banquet.
For her to be featured on the front page meant one of two things:
Either the Palace itself had released the article,
“…or someone deliberately leaked it.”
Olivia murmured softly, opening her eyes.
“Yes?”
Sally brought Olivia a few influential newspapers. The headlines screamed her name—her story.
– Hero Duke Bicander Swears Oath to Madelaine Noblewoman?
– Breaking News) War Hero Finally Performs Lady’s Oath?
Olivia quickly skimmed the papers.
They all said the same thing: the Duke had sworn an oath to her.
It seemed she’d be entering an unexpected period of seclusion.
Calmly, Olivia listed what she needed to do: stay home except when entering the palace, and summon someone about the Crown Prince Consort’s palace finances. As she organized her thoughts, Leopold kept popping into her mind.
Had Leopold seen this article? What did he think?
…He’d probably care, at least. Olivia was flipping through the papers with a bitter smile when—
“Tons of letters arrived for you this morning! I left the rest in your room, but brought this one—ta-da!”
Sally handed her a letter, eyes full of anticipation. Wondering if it was from Essela or Leopold, Olivia blinked as she took it.
The seal stamped on the elegant envelope was unmistakable.
“A messenger came directly from the Ducal House!”
Bicander.
A sword adorned with ornate roses and sharp thorns—the kind of crest she’d only seen in noble almanacs. Olivia carefully opened the letter.
The moment she read the elegant handwriting, her eyes widened.
– I didn’t take the sword. I’ll prepare a more precious gift, so please give me a chance. I’ll wait for you anytime. – Edwin R. Bicander
Was this really all? Reading and rereading the letter, Olivia suddenly burst into laughter.
Goodness—what kind of person was he? She’d heard the Duke was dangerous and cruel, yet his letter calmly spoke of something entirely different, untouched by the noisy articles.
He really was a strange man.
Olivia murmured to herself. The gloom that had wrapped around her since early morning vanished as if washed away, and her appetite suddenly returned.
For some reason, everything felt alright. Picking up her fork again, she softly called to Sally.
“Sally.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s go out for a bit this afternoon.”
She’d written plenty of letters to send to Essela. Sending one wouldn’t hurt. And if she had time, maybe she’d even reply to the Duke.
For some reason, the sunlight streaming through the window felt warm.
At the same time.
Essela left her maternal grandfather’s, the Marquis of Haekwin, by carriage.
Her destination was the Imperial Princess’s palace in the Imperial Palace.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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Chapter Comments (104)
Inline Comments (481)
“I knew Sister got scolded every time we played together.”
And here I thought she was the only one with a tiny bit of sense…. I guess u can never expect too much from this family
“They say you deliberately choose only dark-colored dresses. Could that be why y
Hey Edwin, not too much now 🤣. “Positively ashen” might as well say pale as a ghost
But her pleasant mood shattered completely upon hearing the report from the maid
Ohh crown princess is in some deep deep troubleee🤣… that’s what u get for being on a high horse
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Ethela … I thought you were better
I’m so excited to finally be able to read the novel. The manhwa is gorgeous and now reading the details of the story makes me excited and happy. Thank you for translating!
Ugh…. mL get our lovely liv out of there